V
VR6ofpain
That brush is a beauty!Seems odd that you're basically "testing" a mistake of a brush that is made by Simpson for Trumper's.
Top secret so no pictures? Sounds like a terrible brush, I'd return it.
Anyone NOT like two-band?
- Thread starter jhclare
- Start date
Concerning 2-Banded hair. First point to be made is that just because a brush is 2-banded does not mean that it is top of grade. Second point is that a Rooney Finest is quite different from a Simpson Super. I have both and they are different animals! If you think that a Rooney Finest has the properties that you want, go for it, if not, don't.
Later,
Richard
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Before I ever knew about two-banded hair I bought an Emperor 3 years ago. All I knew was that this brush only came with Simpson Super Badger. It was simply a matter of chance that the hair was two-banded.
Now you can get two-banded hair like you can get a bag of M&Ms.
The current two-band Simpson hair feel softer on the tips than the Somerset brush I have.
As for not liking it. I think not. I like it alot.
Now you can get two-banded hair like you can get a bag of M&Ms.
The current two-band Simpson hair feel softer on the tips than the Somerset brush I have.
As for not liking it. I think not. I like it alot.
I love my Tulip 2 in 2-band. Its amazingly soft, very dense, and has lots of backbone.
Sounds like the inconsistency Hunter was talking about. I think I got the first 2 Ehsan brushes made (one was returned because of issues) and they were both much softer than my other 2 bands. The others softened up too, but the Ehsan started out with zero prickliness.
- Thread starter
- #28
OP here - I believe my brush from Trumper's is in fact a two-band Best grade, not Super.
Have a look here:
It has the same bulb-shape as the Super two-bands. Here is his Super version:
They are very similar. Providing it's not just the photo quality/lighting, I believe the tips on the Super are whiter.
So.... there is more than one two-band grade it seems!
I think my confusion stems from the original limited edition custom two-bands that used a handle of a brush usually only available in Best, yet they filled it with Super two-band hair. I assumed that's what I had got, when in fact mine is Best two-band (I think).
I will email Vulfix about this and report back.
John
Have a look here:
It has the same bulb-shape as the Super two-bands. Here is his Super version:
They are very similar. Providing it's not just the photo quality/lighting, I believe the tips on the Super are whiter.
So.... there is more than one two-band grade it seems!
I think my confusion stems from the original limited edition custom two-bands that used a handle of a brush usually only available in Best, yet they filled it with Super two-band hair. I assumed that's what I had got, when in fact mine is Best two-band (I think).
I will email Vulfix about this and report back.
John
That's true, "Best" handles were used to make non standard custom two band brushes like the early Colonel or me Duke for instance.
As for the two band Best claims I'm not so sure, knowing Simpson's it's just as likely that the odd handle was incorrectly knotted but it would be interesting see what they have to say.
Yo...
I've owned and sold a lot of brushes. More specifically, I've tried many different types of hair grades, in the search for the one that matched my preferences. My preferences are: a brush that is extremely soft, but has enough (delicate balance, like porridge temperature) backbone / density that makes loading hard soaps a breeze. Brushes that splay all over my face, making accurate lathering difficult, are not desirable. For the luxury factor, density and size increases the heat the brush can hold, and the bloom increases in relation to the knot diameter and loft.
Some people search for a dense brush, then they decide their brush is too dense. Us men, we're restless. Rooney heritage knots have been called lather hogs in the heat of the moment. People get frustrated with a Chubby 2 Super. Too dense. I love density. The bloom of my Rooney heritage brushes makes them give up lather easily if I'm not shy with product.
The woman you will someday marry, or the woman you have married, almost assuredly, will have pictured herself with someone else.
Like Anna Akhmatova says:
"And if that night comes back to you,
in your fate which is a mystery to me,
know that this sacred moment
was somebody's dream."
That Chubby 2 was somebody's dream. Your old girlfriend in high school has started a family. The one who made your palms sweat.
It's called the bloom because it should be, imo, like a red-hot-flower of sin, magic-wand that creates lather all over your face. A full bloom (the delicate bloom of a dense brush), is desirable to me. For me, though, large is around 24~, and 26+, if it isn't 2 band (which blooms and splays much much less) I consider monstrous. So I'm looking for a brush that feels big without feeling clumsy.
Some people like really small knots and short lofts. I've had custom brushes with 20~ knots and 45~ lofts, and it's just not my cup of tea. I'd much rather be using a larger brush that is willing to give me a little love, a little give and take, none of this super stiff swirling business. Within reason.
-So-
I've owned multiple Rooney finest brushes in different sizes with different lofts, multiple Simfix 2-bands, Simfix Super and best, Rooney Super, Rooney Heritage 3-band (multiple), Shavemac D01, etc. etc.
My conclusions?
The difference between 100$+ high quality brushes is not HUGE; 2-band brushes feel much different than 3-bands and are a different creature, really, than 3-bands (more extensive break in process, different amounts of water absorbed), and I prefer 3-band brushes because they provide maximum luxury / comfort at the cost of a less "vigorous" or "stimulating" lathering experience (which certainly has its merits and its devotees.)
But we're all winners. This is a great hobby; so many quality products vying for your attention. So many fish in the sea. So much time! The most expensive brush is not always the best. Find out what you are looking for in a brush, and go buy that brush! And remember, it's more about how the individual brush you're looking at is constructed (is it dense? knot dia and loft to your liking? Nice handle? positive reviews on face feel? Soft or scrubby?), not, find the best company: buy one of their brushes.
"I got a Rooney; I never looked back"
(You only got one? Are you crazy?)
Sure, there are playboys. You see them everywhere. Different date at every party. New brush every shave. They're going to have a good time. They deserve to. But you don't need to do that to be having world class shaves. You just need to do a little snooping and some soul searching. And don't be afraid to ask questions!
I've owned and sold a lot of brushes. More specifically, I've tried many different types of hair grades, in the search for the one that matched my preferences. My preferences are: a brush that is extremely soft, but has enough (delicate balance, like porridge temperature) backbone / density that makes loading hard soaps a breeze. Brushes that splay all over my face, making accurate lathering difficult, are not desirable. For the luxury factor, density and size increases the heat the brush can hold, and the bloom increases in relation to the knot diameter and loft.
Some people search for a dense brush, then they decide their brush is too dense. Us men, we're restless. Rooney heritage knots have been called lather hogs in the heat of the moment. People get frustrated with a Chubby 2 Super. Too dense. I love density. The bloom of my Rooney heritage brushes makes them give up lather easily if I'm not shy with product.
The woman you will someday marry, or the woman you have married, almost assuredly, will have pictured herself with someone else.
Like Anna Akhmatova says:
"And if that night comes back to you,
in your fate which is a mystery to me,
know that this sacred moment
was somebody's dream."
That Chubby 2 was somebody's dream. Your old girlfriend in high school has started a family. The one who made your palms sweat.
It's called the bloom because it should be, imo, like a red-hot-flower of sin, magic-wand that creates lather all over your face. A full bloom (the delicate bloom of a dense brush), is desirable to me. For me, though, large is around 24~, and 26+, if it isn't 2 band (which blooms and splays much much less) I consider monstrous. So I'm looking for a brush that feels big without feeling clumsy.
Some people like really small knots and short lofts. I've had custom brushes with 20~ knots and 45~ lofts, and it's just not my cup of tea. I'd much rather be using a larger brush that is willing to give me a little love, a little give and take, none of this super stiff swirling business. Within reason.
-So-
I've owned multiple Rooney finest brushes in different sizes with different lofts, multiple Simfix 2-bands, Simfix Super and best, Rooney Super, Rooney Heritage 3-band (multiple), Shavemac D01, etc. etc.
My conclusions?
The difference between 100$+ high quality brushes is not HUGE; 2-band brushes feel much different than 3-bands and are a different creature, really, than 3-bands (more extensive break in process, different amounts of water absorbed), and I prefer 3-band brushes because they provide maximum luxury / comfort at the cost of a less "vigorous" or "stimulating" lathering experience (which certainly has its merits and its devotees.)
But we're all winners. This is a great hobby; so many quality products vying for your attention. So many fish in the sea. So much time! The most expensive brush is not always the best. Find out what you are looking for in a brush, and go buy that brush! And remember, it's more about how the individual brush you're looking at is constructed (is it dense? knot dia and loft to your liking? Nice handle? positive reviews on face feel? Soft or scrubby?), not, find the best company: buy one of their brushes.
"I got a Rooney; I never looked back"
(You only got one? Are you crazy?)
Sure, there are playboys. You see them everywhere. Different date at every party. New brush every shave. They're going to have a good time. They deserve to. But you don't need to do that to be having world class shaves. You just need to do a little snooping and some soul searching. And don't be afraid to ask questions!
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I must say, I am a jealous man looking at this picture - that Chubby and Tulip look absolutely gorgeous.
I like the 2 band brushes i have ( two simpsons ), but they are not my favorites.
I find the 3 band of the Hl Thater chubby II more soft on the skin, and easier to load with soap . it fits exactly what i am searching in a brush
I find the 3 band of the Hl Thater chubby II more soft on the skin, and easier to load with soap . it fits exactly what i am searching in a brush
I currently prefer my Simpson two banded supers (CH1 and CH2) over my other brushes. I have to say that they weren't my favorite right out of the box, but with time and use have broken in - the tips have softened up and the bloom has spayed out a bit, but it has maintained the backbone. Remind me of boar brushes in that way. Backbone with soft tips - no floppiness. I use these brushes more than my others.
I've only tried 7 brushes, but so far 2 band is my favorite. Backbone seems just right for me, not too dense, releases soap easily, and the afore-mentioned precision in lathering are my favorite features. Here's a TGN 22mm knot with extra hair I built, I also just got a Grosvenor LE.
I didn't think I'd like the bulb shape of the TGN, but it has grown on me. It opens up nicely when pressed onto the face. The Grosvenor has a less pronounced bulb shape, and is a more expensive brush, but blindfolded, I could not tell the difference.
I didn't think I'd like the bulb shape of the TGN, but it has grown on me. It opens up nicely when pressed onto the face. The Grosvenor has a less pronounced bulb shape, and is a more expensive brush, but blindfolded, I could not tell the difference.
Great post Frowzy. You should write for a living.
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